Fleet Management

Driver Seeks HOS Exemption

A team driver based in Washington state has asked for an exemption to the hours-of-service rule for himself and his co-driver.

David Muresan, who said in his application that he drives for CRST, wants the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to let him drive between 3 and 11 hours at a time, followed by 2 to 10 hours of rest.

Drivers are now limited to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Drivers using the sleeper berth provision must take at least 8 consecutive hours in the berth, plus 2 consecutive hours either in the berth or off-duty.

Muresan wants more control over his time. “I will drive only after I will have enough rest,” he said in his application.

He also proposed that his co-driver not have the authority to order him to drive if he does not want to, and that he be allowed to keep a paper log, rather than an electronic one.

He contends that this approach will improve the efficiency and safety of team operations. Because the driver has the authority to say when he will drive, he can get back behind the wheel when he is rested and not hours after that, Muresan said.

In his application Muresan said he works for CRST, listing the telephone number of CRST Expedited. A call to the company had not been returned as this story was posted. Muresan did not answer a call to his listed number.

Comments

1.lastgoodusername[ December 18, 2013 @ 03:50AM ]

You go girl

2.BarbRRB[ December 18, 2013 @ 04:40AM ]

To all who wish an exemption......Go For It.We all deserve to be safe. Driving and sleeping when OUR bodies tell us to, this is the only way. Study this and study that.... Spend millions of tax payers money on all that stuff..... Ask a veteran truck driver, they will give you valuable data that must be used. In a PERFECT WORLD we all sleep 8 hours soundly and get proper rest. We do not live in a perfect world, get out of your bubble FMCSA. We are humans here and not robots.

3.James Thomas[ December 18, 2013 @ 06:26AM ]

Being a long haul driver myself for most of my adult life I knew my physical condition better than anyone. There were times when I would drive two hours into my shift and be exhausted , other days sixteen hours was a cake walk. Point is a driver needs complete control over when and what time he drives and not be forced to drive because hours of service rules actually force them to when they know they shouldn't be. I feel for the new drivers coming into the industry , mine are coming to an end there is just nothing but bad on the horizon it is my recommendation for drivers to seek other careers . The government will only make things worse as they have done over the years, has anyone ever done a study on that !

4.Donald Stewart[ December 18, 2013 @ 07:49AM ]

I am now retired but I drove coast to coast team with my wife for 30 years and I let my head and my body tell me when we should , I agree with James Thomas, The government should not be in control over how the trucking industry as the have never driven a truck and they want to tell me how I should be doing my own business. That is why I was an independent truck driver.

5.Donald Stewart[ December 18, 2013 @ 07:50AM ]

I am now retired but I drove coast to coast team with my wife for 30 years and I let my head and my body tell me when we should , I agree with James Thomas, The government should not be in control over how the trucking industry as the have never driven a truck and they want to tell me how I should be doing my own business. That is why I was an independent truck driver.

6.Tim laskowski[ December 18, 2013 @ 04:11PM ]

Well now, that's an interesting twist.We as independents should act as independents and apply for our own exemptions . GOOD LUCK,

7.Doug Lyon[ December 20, 2013 @ 04:44PM ]

It is a shame that for every David Muresan or James Thomas there is a bad apple that will drive when they are tired, when they have had a couple of drinks, when they popped a pill, when they are ill, or when they are unsafe. They will drive too fast, tailgate, block traffic, and just be bad drivers. It really isn't that the good drivers should be granted exemptions, it is that the FMCSA can't figure out who the good drivers are. The FMCSA pretends that the HOS regulations will make drivers drive safer. They need to see that the bad apples will continue to avoid the weigh stations and drive longer and faster than they should. The solution is not tighter restrictions or even exemptions for the David Muresans out there, it is smarter trucks that notify drivers if they cross a edge line, if they look away from the road, shut their eyes, attempt to change lanes with someone in the blind spot, or run too fast around a curve. The solution is e-logs that shut down a truck after 8 hours and after 11 hours behind the wheel (performance degradation followed by the inability to start the vehicle). The FMCSA should trust the drivers but be in a position to verify the drivers are driving safely.

8.lastgoodusername[ December 21, 2013 @ 01:01AM ]

Mr. Lyon , you make a compelling argument and I agree with you , except on one most important point. Auto shutdown of a truck after x number of hours. Ever been delayed by weather , ever been to the Bronx , ever been in a truck? That will make it better. Trucks sitting everywhere. Did you read what you wrote or are you so caught up in the electromatic world that you think every problem can be dealt with by computer chip?

9.charles r smith[ December 21, 2013 @ 10:05AM ]

James Thomas is correct in his assessment of when a driver knows more about when he feels like driving than the government. I have been driving for 58 years accident free. My wife have owned trucks for 48 years. I will not run e logs and be unsafe!!!!!

10.Rigoberto D Chavez[ December 21, 2013 @ 08:48PM ]

I agree with David Moresan, a driver should drive when he is rested, and does not drive more than 11 hrs within a 24 hr period.

11.John Luebrecht[ December 22, 2013 @ 08:31PM ]

While the FMCSA is in charge, a bunch of CLUELESS IDIOTS will continue to be making the rules. Something they know absolutely nothing about!

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